Wave of drone sightings hits Danish airports, Aalborg latest to shut down

Aalborg Airport in Denmark was forced to suspend operations late on September 25 after unidentified drones were detected in its airspace, marking the latest in a series of drone-related disruptions to Scandinavian airports.

According to Danish broadcaster TV 2, airport officials stressed that ensuring the safety of passengers and staff remains their highest priority, adding that any intrusion of drones into restricted flight zones is treated with the utmost seriousness.

The disruption led to immediate changes in flight schedules: flight KL1289 was diverted back to Amsterdam, while flight SK1225 from Copenhagen had to be cancelled.

“We closed the airspace at 11:40 p.m. We had been working with additional personnel throughout the day, and it was one of our employees who spotted the suspicious object,” said Christian Tilsted, duty officer for the North Jutland Police.

The incident at Aalborg follows a string of similar disruptions in recent days. On September 22, unknown drones paralysed operations for several hours at Copenhagen and Oslo airports. The following day, September 23, drones were again spotted over Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport, forcing a temporary closure.

On September 25, alongside Aalborg, reports emerged of drones near several other Danish airports, including Esbjerg and Sønderborg, as well as Skridstrup Air Base, which hosts F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. Police later confirmed that the drones were neither private nor commercial aircraft.

By Tamilla Hasanova